Frantic appeal. Prolonged deliberation. The clock pauses for umpire Steve Bucknor. He rewinds, not with Hawkeye, but with eyes like a hawk, dissecting every micro inch of the image in his mind. The batsman waits agonizingly. The clock ticks, and Bucknor nods his head in approval, more like an obdurate headmaster. The index finger ascends, accompanied by a waspish grin. This is death, or slow death, announced by Bucknor. Now that he has retired, it is certain Bucknor the umpire will be missed as much as his mannerisms.
A man of few words, he preferred signals, like he one raised finger when a batsman asked for a leg-stump guard. His work ethic was admirable. Despite the globetrotting, he squeezed out time for the gym and reminded his ilk of the significance of fitness. Like teams play warm-up matches, he too would adjudicate a few domestic matches before an international series to get accustomed to the conditions and, importantly, attune his hearing.
Meticulous, he instructed groundsmen to draw white lines 30 inches to either side of the stumps in ODIs so that the definition of a wide became more accurate. Many umpires followed suit in limited-overs matches. Also, for “toe bowlers” (only the toe of their front foot lands during delivery, leaving their heels in the air), Bucknor used to mark with chalk the furthest point their toe could go without committing a no-ball. Having officiated in five World Cup finals (a record), 128 Tests and 181 ODIs, he has rendered yeoman service to world cricket.
However, an umpire is rarely commemorated for his accuracy; more often he is denigrated for his blemishes, much like a wicketkeeper who draws notice only when he spills a catch or misses a stumping. Like every other umpire, Bucknor has erred. Unfortunately, his mistakes have often impacted the outcome of matches. Like when he failed to grasp an obvious outside edge off Andrew Symonds’s blade in Sydney 2008. Symonds, then on 36 and his team reeling at 193 for six, notched 162 not out. Bucknor again gave Symonds a reprieve at 148 when he decided against referring a stumping though the burly Australian’s feet were a few inches off the crease.
Bucknor erred once too often in that particular match. And India were at his receiving end more often than not. On the final day, India, playing for a draw, was severely jolted when Bucknor gave Dravid out caught behind off Symonds when the ball had only brushed his front pad. Indian players and the BCCI demanded his ouster from the remaining series and the ICC buckled under pressure. Bucknor came back only after 11 months.
Of course, he has ‘Bucknored’ India quite often. them in the past. He deprived India of a possible Test win at the Wanderers. Reeling at 73 for 5, India appealed for a run-out against Jonty Rhodes. But Bucknor chose not to consult the third umpire. Rhodes scored 91 and South Africa saved the Test. If opposition bowlers wanted to dismiss Sachin Tendulkar early in the innings, the best option was to bowl from Bucknor’s end. He always saved his worst for Tendulkar — in Kolkata twice and in Brisbane once (the decision surprised even the Aussies). But it was in Sydney that Bucknor chose to hurt India the most. In 2004, Bucknor undid a resilient India pressing for an elusive series win. Twice was Justin Langer a dead duck to Ajit Agarkar. Damien Martyn was another beneficiary as Australia salvaged a draw.
Skipper Sourav Ganguly rated Bucknor’s umpiring as ‘very poor’ in his report to the ICC, which ironically asked the Jamaican to officiate in India’s series against Pakistan as well. Though India won the series 2-1, Bucknor again threw tantrums in Lahore, the only Test that India lost on that tour. Reportedly, then coach John Wright barged into match referee Ranjan Madugalle’s room to register his annoyance.
Perhaps the only other occasion Bucknor was in distress without involving India was during the 2007 World Cup final, when he incorrectly interpreted the rules on bad light. All umpires err, but his propensity to make mistakes against a particular side — India — often questioned his objectivity. And justifiably he was stripped of greatness.
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